THE LARGE WADING BIRDS
AMERICAN EGRET (Casmerodius albus
egretta)
Due to its large size, its snowy whiteness, and
the remarkable grace it exhibits in flight or
when at rest, the American egret arrests the at
tention of every observer. In the breeding plum
age the bird is adorned with about 50 aigrettes,
that grow from the back between the wings
and extend well beyond the tail. These exqui
site, filmy feathers attain a length of 21 inches.
As the nesting season advances, these are gradu
ally shed, and examination shows that they ex
hibit marked evidences of wear.
Of the three species of egrets in the United
States, this is the largest, its length varying
from three to three and a half feet. The slen
der, dagger-shaped bill is nearly five inches long
and is a dangerous weapon when driven vigor
ously by the bird's long and flexible neck. The
yellow color of the bill is a character that easily
distinguishes this species from the snowy egret
when larger size is not evident.
They feed intensely by day and apparently
will eat almost any small animal life encoun
tered. Among the various articles they have
been known to consume are fish, small snakes,
frogs, dragon flies, crickets, grasshoppers, and
moths.
This is one of the few species of our birds many
individuals of which regularly migrate north
ward in late summer after the nesting season,
making their way to New England and Ontario.
The American egret occupies the tropical and
subtropical sections of America, breeding from
North Carolina, Arkansas, and Oregon (rarely)
southward to Patagonia. Allied forms are found
in the Old World.
SNOWY EGRET (Egretta thula)
The snowy egret is two feet in length, its
plumage is of snowy whiteness, and in the
spring and summer its back is decorated with
numerous recurved aigrette plumes. It is smaller
than the egret and has the bill and legs black
and the toes yellow. Formerly this bird was shot
for the millinery trade in such immense numbers
that by the beginning of the present century it was
regarded as one of the rare and fast-disappear
ing birds within the United States. The passage
of the Audubon laws to prohibit killing it and
to make the sale of its plumes illegal, followed
by years of intensive public education and the
guarding of its breeding colonies, has been one of
the most successful efforts in the protection of any
single species of North American birds. It has
regained its numbers, and to-day exists by tens
of thousands, being particularly plentiful in the
low country from South Carolina to Florida and
in the same character of country in Missis
sippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
They frequent shallow ponds, quiet salt-water
lagoons, and flooded rice fields, where they seek
minnows, frogs, and other small life.
They are decidedly the most animated mem
bers of the heron family of which I have per
sonal knowledge. In feeding they dart about
most vigorously in the shallow water, and in
their nesting colonies they are pugnacious and
resentful of the approach of other birds. They
are quite capable of defending their nests against
their twig-stealing neighbors, who are ever on the
alert to acquire additional nesting materials. They
breed usually in company with other herons and
lay from three to five bluish-green eggs.
Like the American egret, this species wanders
north in late summer to Kansas, Maryland, and
casually to southern Canada.
The extensive Bear River marshes adjoining
Great Salt Lake on the northeast are one of
this country's most famous resorts for water
birds of many species and are a well-known
feeding and nesting ground for the form of this
heron known as Brewster's egret. Here, in the
tule marshes, they gather in numbers to con
struct their nests and raise their young.
The nesting range of this egret extends from
North Carolina southward in the coast country
to Florida and Texas, and on through tropi
cal America to Argentina and Chile. Formerly
it nested north to New Jersey, Indiana, and
Nebraska.
The race known as Brewster's egret (E. t.
brewsteri) breeds from Utah and California
southward to Baja California.
REDDISH EGRET (Dichromanassa ru
fescens)
The general habits of the reddish egret are
similar to those of other herons. It feeds in
shallow water, builds nests of sticks and twigs,
lays bluish-green eggs, and, if successful, rears
three or four young in a season. However, it
appears to frequent only salt and brackish water
areas mainly. Its food consists chiefly of small
fish. When animated, the long feathers of the
back of the head and upper breast and the
aigrettes of the back are erected in such a man
ner as wholly to change the form and appearance
of the bird.
This species occurs in two very distinct phases
of plumage. The'dark one is of a bluish slate
color except the head and neck, which are rich
chestnut. Specimens of the white phase show
no color in their plumage, except that in some
cases there are faint markings of gray at the
tips of the long wing primaries. In both phases
the end of the bill is dark. This egret super
ficially resembles a little blue heron, but is larger
and attains a length of about 30 inches.
Like all other wild birds, the reddish egret
has its natural enemies. On Green Island,
Texas, where is situated their largest breeding
colony in the United States, the chief foe ap
pears to be the great-tailed grackle, which is a
great destroyer of eggs. Like the fish crows in
the heronries of the South Atlantic States, they
are ever on the watch to seize the eggs of the
herons and egrets that may be left unguarded
for a moment. They are very aggressive, and
I have seen them drive an egret from its nest
and then begin to eat its eggs.
The reddish egret (Dichromanassa rufescens
rufescens) breeds from the Gulf coast of the
United States south to Jamaica, Haiti, and
Guatemala. Formerly it was common in south
ern Florida, but became nearly extinct there.
Now, however, it is seemingly becoming more
abundant.
Dickey's egret (Dichromanassa rufescens
dickeyi), found in Baja California, differs in
being darker on the head and neck.
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